


Danganronpa V3: Change of Plans

by EternallyTired86



Category: Dangan Ronpa - All Media Types, Death Note (Anime & Manga), New Dangan Ronpa V3: Everyone's New Semester of Killing
Genre: Danganronpa Zero References, F/M, I'm Changing the End Twist, M/M, Mastermind Exposed in Trial 1, Memory Alteration, Memory Loss, Murder Mystery, Post-it Notes
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-01-23
Updated: 2020-05-28
Packaged: 2021-02-27 03:35:07
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 5
Words: 11,610
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22370374
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/EternallyTired86/pseuds/EternallyTired86
Summary: Danganronpa V3, except L and Light replace Shuichi and Kokichi.These two have never let things go to plan unless that plan is their own—something a killing game is definitely not. Two super geniuses working as allies or enemies with the similar goal of ending this game, just not always in the most moral of ways. The other kids at Hope’s Peak Academy won’t know what hit them.
Comments: 5
Kudos: 25





	1. Chapter 1

L woke up in a locker. Wait... L? Was that really his name? Another name, Ryuzaki, appeared in his mind. L Lawliet... Ryuzaki... Ryuzaki Lawliet, he decided. 

Okay, that was solved. Now Ryuzaki's goal was to figure out where he came from, why he had no memories, and why he was in a locker. Also why L was popping up in his head. That wasn't a name, was it? If it was his name, he wondered what his parents had been thinking.

As he tried to open the locker, he fell out unceremoniously and found himself at the feet of a pretty girl with blonde hair and mauve eyes. He took a moment to examine his own frightfully pale hands and his abnormally long fingers, then he looked up at the girl, standing.

"Hello." He said softly but not meekly, holding out his hand, "I'm Ryuzaki Lawliet."

"And I'm Kaede Akamatsu. Hey, do you remember anything?" Kaede asked, and Ryuzaki shrugged, just as lost as her,

"No." Ryuzaki looked towards the door, "But whatever happened, we are trapped here, and looking at the way we were haphazardly shoved inside, I would say there is a 60% chance it was not of out will. The other 40% would imply we were desperately hiding, but from what I don't know without my memories. We should probably investigate." He looked down at his feet, noticing blue jeans, and he wasn't wearing shoes. He didn't know why, because he should probably be wearing them, but he also didn't want to, so he put no effort into searching for them.

They both used all their strength to open to door, only to find themselves face to face with a giant robot, 

"Hell yeah!" It shouted, "Found you!" 

"What?" Kaede asked, and Ryuzaki stared up at the robot, examining every detail, and surprised to notice he held no fear, only fascination and excitement.

"How interesting," he murmured under his breath as the robot laughed, which meant there was a guarantee someone was piloting it inside. 

"Th-This is bad!" Kaede stammered, "We need to get out of here!"

"I second that statement," Ryuzaki replied as he got a look at the massive guns on that thing. He broke into a sprint, gesturing for her to follow as the robot chased after him. It didn't take much common sense to know they should be avoiding the thing with the gun that was chasing them. Ryuzaki winced as his feet met the stone ground, but noticed there were enough calluses that he felt little pain.

Ryuzaki turned around to see if they had lost the thing, only for a second one to appear.

"What are those things?!" Kaede asked as they were running. Ryuzaki shrugged,

"I don't know." Was all he answered as he kept running.

As they dove in through one of the doors, they saw something they had never expected to see. 

"Ohhh, more people have arrived," someone said, and Ryuzaki worked to close the door in hopes of that keeping the robots back. 

"Did you all get chased by that monster too?" Another asked, and Kaede answered,

"O-Oh, yeah."

"What... are they?" Someone asked, "What do they want with us?"

"Definitely some form of robot," this was the first person to be memorable in Ryuzaki's mind, maybe because he had devastating beauty to him that made him the instant focal point. His auburn hair partially hid cocoa brown eyes, which almost seemed to have flecks of red, "But what it wants with us is hard to tell without any info."

"W-Wait!" Kaede shouted at the top of her lungs, "Who are you guys?"

"And that makes sixteen," another person said, but Ryuzaki was still staring at the man leaning on the wall, writing in a little black notebook.

"What?" Ryuzaki snapped out of his trace to look at the green-haired boy who had counted them off.

"I'm talking about us. There are sixteen of us—all high-schoolers. What do you think that means? Oh, right, I didn't answer your question. My name is Rantaro Amami. Let's leave it at that for now."

It was at that moment, an unknown voice echoed through the gym...

"No, no, no, simmer down."

And they were surrounded by five robots. 


	2. Chapter 2

"Damn! There are more monsters!" Someone said, "We're surrounded!"

"For the last time," the beautiful man snapped, "Someone or something is piloting these robots, we just need to find out from where, get in, and destroy it."

"He's right," one of the robots said, "These aren't monsters. These are Exisals. They're highly mobile bipedal weapons platforms."

"Hell yeah!" The first one said, and Ryuzaki was already annoyed at the thing, "Should we take one of these for a spin by killin' one of 'em!?" 

"It wouldn't be any fun picking on plain good-for-nothing commoners!" Another girl said, and Ryuzaki rolled his eyes, having long since stopped being afraid, instead examining every inch of the Exisals to see where the entrance was. Either from behind in the lower back area, or in the head.

"You're right," the blue Exisal, clearly with the most hostile pilot, said, "We should at least think of an interesting way to kill you. Maybe I'll pick ya up and squeeze ya till your guts come gushin' out like toothpaste."

"I... don't think that's how it works," Ryuzaki said under his breath, already coming to the conclusion this individual wasn't very bright. Sure, the guts would come out in a graphic way, but not like toothpaste.

Judging by the greenish-black-haired girl's reaction, she didn't know that, "P-Please, not like toothpaste!" At this point, Ryuzaki had noticed the man always catching his eye was looking extremely bored. He walked over, no longer caring about the robots, 

"I'm Ryuzaki Lawliet." He said, and the man smiled, but it reeked of trained charm,

"I'm Light Yagami. I'm glad at least one person here isn't a cowering worm. Even the pink Exisal," he gestured to the Exisal in question, who was complaining about gore, "That one will likely be the easiest to take down, but we'd need more manpower than just the two of us, and I don't think anyone here has the guts to assist."

"For now," Ryuzaki offered, "We should find out what they want and if it has to do with our memory gaps." Light nodded, and they sighed to see the girl still begging for her life.

"Wait! We can't kill them with the Exisals," the one in the center, probably the leader, ordered. "According to the schedule, the Exisals aren't supposed to show up until later." Huh?

Then the Exisals started arguing with each other about scripts and such, and Ryuzaki noticed a girl with glasses and long blue hair backing towards the door, ready to run away.

Eventually, the Exisals agreed to get out of the mechs, and Ryuzaki was curious to see who their captors were...

Only to find they were five tiny robotic bears that barely reached his kneecap. He wasn't sure if the amount of insult towards his IQ was justified or not, but he was feeling rather pathetic for having been kidnapped by these things.

Then he realized these were likely diversions meant to lower their guard, and the real mastermind was the one to blame.

Everyone else's brains were still being shocked and insulted. Kaede was slack-jawed as though saying, "Seriously?!"

"See?" The red one said, "We're outta the Exisals." Ryuzaki fought the urge to kick the little thing, to see what would happen, but then figured that was a bad idea. He was curious by nature, but not stupid. "Now we're not scary anymore. Right? Right?!"

"Definitely not." Light said, "I feel extremely underwhelmed."

"You punkasses better brace yourselves!" The blue one announced, with a guitar in his paws, and why did it have chest hair? 

"And he's outright terrifying!" The pink one, the only female one, was clearly the stereotypical dainty one. Light was correct in his assumption she would be the easiest to take out.

Quickly, though, he grew bored by the Monokubs and their attempts at being intimidating, and the confusion of the other kids, and let himself zone out until something worthwhile came up in their conversation.

"Looks like I was right," Rantaro's words brought Ryuzaki back to reality, "This is exactly what I thought it was. But who's behind all this? Why the ridiculous theatrics—" at least Rantaro seemed smart.

"Gah!" The blue one screamed, "All o' you reactin' way too normally to this! It's boring!"

"You think we're boring?" Light muttered, "How about you tell us something helpful, and maybe we'll be more amusing."

"Wait, their clothes seem rather boring too," the yellow one said, "Except for Lawliet, he seems to have been put in the right outfit. Have we given them their first memory yet?"

"Now, you're too cryptic!" Light snapped, running his hands through his auburn hair in exasperation. 

"That should have happened before they woke up," the red one replied, and the yellow one turned to Light,

"Do youse guys have Ultimate Talents or anything like that?"

"Ultimate Talents?" Light asked, "What is that supposed to mean?"

"I..." Kaede looked at the floor, "Don't have one. I have a skill that I devote myself to, but I wouldn't call it an Ultimate Talent."

"Y-Yeah, same here." Someone said, followed by agreements from the others.

"I knew it!" The blue one said smugly, "They haven't gotten their first memory yet!"

"Why would you wipe our memories only to give them back? Is this a mystery game where we have to collect pieces of our memories?" Ryuzaki asked. A game like that sounded both parts frustrating and pretty fun. It would certainly be interesting. But that begged the question if he knew these people outside the game.

"This is an issue," the yellow one said, "Youse all have forgotten your talents and become generic high school students."

"See," the red one explained, "According to the backstory, this Ultimate Hunt is going on." 

_Hello, fourth wall, how are you doing?_ Ryuzaki mused, _Is this a weird reality show? I don't understand what's going on. But the idea of this being a television show is supported by the Monokubs talking about scripts earlier. If people are watching us from the outside world... we have to be very careful. Until I get more evidence, it's best I keep this theory to myself or at least lie about the percentage. There's a 70% chance I'm right, but it would be wise to tell people it's under 5% to avoid a panic._

"You've all lost your memories and become different people cuz of the Ultimate Hunt." 

Ryuzaki wondered what his Ultimate Talent was supposed to be. Judging by this thought process... a detective, maybe? Or something analytical? Or perhaps he was a different person with his memories and experiences change you. For all he knew, he was a baseball star or a singer.

The pink one got excited, "You need to reclaim your sealed talents by regaining your memories?" _Then what was the point of losing them to begin with?!_ Ryuzaki made a note to learn more about this Ultimate Hunt as soon as possible.

"Let's do this already," the yellow one said, "No one wants to watch a bunch of generic high school whiners." Any doubt Ryuzaki had about them being in a television show was gone at those words, 100% certain in his deduction. Meaning that whoever kidnapped them was the director, and they could be placed in danger at the audience's whim.

Clothes came raining down from the ceiling, and Ryuzaki decided he was fine in his current attire, and the Monokubs agreed, so he decided to lean against the wall and observe.

Kaede looked down at her new, pink, music-based attire, "Huh? What am I wearing?"

"Next up, the memory youse all been waiting for." 

"Hell yeah!" Three guesses who said that it was getting repetitive, "Once the seal is broken, we'll be in the domain of the killing game!" 

Wait... _killing_ game?! That's what kind of show this was?!

"Now," the red one explained, "Once the flashback light helps you remember your amazing talents... this story will begin for real this time."

Ryuzaki gasped as he was blinded by a brightness coming from a little flashlight. 

For a moment, there was nothingness. 

And then he found himself back in the locker, with no memory of the Monokubs, his revelation, Kaede, Light, nothing.

But he did know he was L Lawliet, commonly calling himself Ryuzaki. He was the Ultimate Detective known only as L, which everyone believed was an alias, not expecting his parents would suck that much. He had been solving even the most difficult cases since he was eight.

That begged the question of why he was in this locker. 

As he tried to open the locker, he fell out unceremoniously and found himself at the feet of a pretty girl with blonde hair and mauve eyes. He took a moment to examine his own frightfully pale hands and his abnormally long fingers, then he looked up at the girl, standing.

"Hello." He said softly but not meekly, holding out his hand, "I'm Ryuzaki Lawliet." That was the alias he would choose to use here, just in case someone had heard of L, "The Ultimate Detective,"

"And I'm Kaede Akamatsu." She was about to tell him her Ultimate Talent when five small bears appeared at their feet. L found himself extremely unimpressed by them.

 _What are they?_ He wondered, _Why are they talking? Are they just stuffed animals? No, that couldn't be. Clearly, they are robotic and designed to keep us calm in this situation._

"We're not Monokubs!" The blue one said, "We're the stuffed animals!"

"Psst, Monokid, you're saying your lines backward," the yellow one said, and L took note of the blue one being Monokid. Monokid was also stupid.

"Huh? Monokubs?" Kaede asked. 

"Huh?!" The pink one, clearly female, was shocked, "You've heard of us?!" She clearly wasn't the brightest either,

"No, Monokid essentially told us what you were mere moments ago." L said impatiently, "I have never seen walking, talking, robotic stuffed animals."

The Monokubs looked to each other, and the red one cheered,

"Yay! It worked!"

"Phew," Monokid revealed a disturbingly long tongue, "That had me worried for a second." 

"You speak as though we've had this conversation before," L pointed out, taking note of their tones, "Why? What were you worried about?"

"I don't understand what's going on," Kaede said, "Do you, Ryuzaki?"

"Alright now," the red one said, ignoring the confusion from the two teens in front of him, "Let's tackle one issue at a time."

"You're so damn reliable, Monotaro!" Monokid shrieked, and L noticed the noticeably robotic bear, the green one, hadn't said a word.

"Well," Monotaro said, "What's your question?" 

L counted on his fingers, "Who are you? Why are you here? Who is your boss who clearly is running this? Where are we? Is there anyone else here? How are you robots functioning? How long have we been in the lockers? Pick one to start with."

"Let's start with the 'where are we' question," Kaede offered, "This looks like a school." L had to agree with her statement.

"Okay," Monotaro finally did some explaining, and L took notice of how the others had looked somewhat panicked by all of _his_ questions, "This place is called the Ultimate Academy for Gifted Juveniles." 

L looked down at himself. For some reason, he didn't remember how old he was, but from what he could tell—not that he was anywhere near a mirror to see his face—he was in his late teens or early twenties, not quite a juvenile.

"So, this is one of the Wammy's Houses?" He wondered aloud, much to Kaede's confusion. This certainly didn't seem like one of the Wammy's Houses, but it could very well be an abandoned one.

"Wammy's House?" 

"A home gifted children were sent to with the intent of refining their talents." No, he decided, Watari wouldn't have let one of his houses get run down like this. Speaking of which, could he call Watari?

"Not Wammy's House," the pink one said, "This school was made for you sixteen cretins."

"Looking at the vegetation growing in this room," L retaliated, "This building has been here for a while, meaning it wasn't made with the intent of sixteen people, but you did inform us there are fourteen others."

"Yeah," the yellow one said, "There are sixteen Ultimates at this school." L had to admit he expected more, for each talent out there but supposed that if this was a generational thing, it made sense.

"Ultimates?" Kaede asked, and the yellow one sighed,

"You know what Ultimates are, right? The government scouts 'em through this program called Ultimate Initiative." 

L wasn't surprised he was chosen as the Ultimate Detective, seeing as he was the best detective in the world. He even beat his two much older rivals in a detective war, stealing their names and making them two more of his aliases. But he wondered how he had ended up here. He would have refused to come to this place, and nobody except Watari knew where he was located at any given time.

"I don't need the explanation," Kaede said, "Because I'm an Ultimate too."

"That means you gotta remember this time. Don't go forgetting anymore." There was no denying they had had this conversation before, and for some reason, they hadn't had their memories. This begged the question of if the memories they had right now were real, but L decided now was not the time for an existential crisis.

Monotaro only confirmed the theory, "Yeah, forgetting about your talent is such a waste."

"Huh?" Kaede was seemingly catching on, "What do you mean 'forgetting'?"

Monokid whipped out a guitar, "Shut up! Quit your yappin' and get started already?"

"On what?" L asked, "I see no reason I should listen to a word you have to say."

"Exploring the academy, of course," Monotaro said, and L reluctantly admitted to himself that was a necessity if he was going to have any idea how to get out of here.

"Also, you should introduce yourself to other Ultimates." Yellow said, "Cuz, you guys are gonna do an activity together later." That sounded alarmingly ominous, and L was not looking forward to this activity. That being said, it could be because he was way out of his comfort zone right now, actually interacting with people besides Watari. He would much rather be sitting behind his screen, eating sweets, and solving cases. But maybe this would be interesting. 

The bears left, and Kaede crossed her arms, "Shoot! But I still have so many questions!"

"Agreed. I believe the Monokubs purposefully ignored our questions," L said, "It's only maybe 10%, but I suspect we're here to be killed or used as pawns in a game."

"What?!" Kaede panicked, and he gave her his best assuring look, 

"Only 10%, no, 5%." Actually, it was 70%, but she didn't have to know that.

"Regardless," Kaede shook her head, ash-blonde hair bouncing on her shoulders, "We have to find a way out of here! But they said there are sixteen Ultimate students here."

L put his hands in his pockets, "You never told me what your Ultimate Talent was."

"Oh," she rubbed the back of her neck and laughed awkwardly, "I'm the Ultimate Pianist. Nice to meet you. You said you were a detective? That's amazing!"

"Thank you." 

"Well," Kaede smiled, "Nobody calls me the Ultimate Pianist, usually just Piano Freak. Every since I was a child, I would play the piano when I got bored. There were even times I played the piano so much I forgot to eat or sleep. Eventually, I won trophies from concerts, and people started praising me."

"I guess I can say the same thing when it comes to solving cases," L decided to tell her a little about himself, but not enough that she could find out he was L. "It's all like a game, I helped my guardian when he solved cases, and people began to notice me and consider me the great detective."

"This is my first time meeting another Ultimate Student," Kaede beamed, and L shrugged,

"Ultimates are scattered all around the country, even the world. I would assume they are difficult to find." Her bright mood darkened,

"There are sixteen Ultimate students gathered here now. But why is everyone here? Were we kidnapped? If so, is some organization out there trying to kidnap all the Ultimates?"

"I would assume so, but I can't seem to remember being kidnapped. However, the Monokubs implied we had lost our memories at some point, so that could easily be one of the blanks."

"It's probably nothing to worry about, not a big deal. We're confused, we just need to relax is all."

_No, this is something that is without question a big deal. I need to figure out what's going on. For now, it will be best to stick with Kaede, because she seems to trust me. Maybe the other Ultimates will have a better idea of what's going on._

He didn't realize he had been tuning her out until she grabbed his hand, "But first, let's look for a way out. And there are other Ultimate students here. We should talk to them too. Come on, Ryuzaki!" 

They both walked out of the classroom, and L already knew that whatever situation they were in, it wasn't good.


	3. Chapter 3

Even though it was a hallway, there was an abnormal amount of plants growing around here, and the air was unusually oppressively heavy. But for some reason, it brought up all past anxiety in L's life. This was a school, or at least it was supposed to be. What kind of school makes you feel like this.

He noticed that he had a messenger bag with his name—or others would assume initial—stitched onto it. It looked similar to Kaede's backpack, except it was more like a sachel and was grey-navy in color. Inside was a tablet. 

"What's that?" Kaede asked, and L shrugged,

"I don't know. I found it in my bag, but the thing is, I don't usually carry a satchel. Perhaps the Monokubs gave it to me since I only have pockets large enough to put my hands in."

"Maybe I have one too," Kaede dug into her backpack, "I knew my backpack felt heavier. It says Monopad on it. When did this get in my backpack?"

L turned his on and saw his name, information, and even some of his preferences were listed on it. He also noticed his first name was blank, and he was able to edit. But his last name was unchangeable. He typed in Ryuzaki. The reason, he supposed, was just in case he wanted to keep anonymity. But this tablet seemed to almost be a student handbook. Kaede's information was on there too, but the other fourteen tabs were unaccessible. He deduced that they would open up as he met people.

"We should hold on to them for now. Even if the tablets were given to us by the Monokubs, they might prove useful."

"Yeah, I agree," Kaede started walking forward to find people, almost immediately finding a girl with extremely long blue hair and glasses. L was observing her and noticed a spool of thread in her pocket. Ultimate Seamstress or Fashion Designer, maybe? Definitely, something related to clothing, since that type of thread wasn't the same as stitching up a person.

"Hey, you're an Ultimate student, right?" Kaede asked, "Can we talk—" the girl didn't respond, "Hey! Hello!" When there was still no answer, Kaede took a step back, "Huh? She still can't hear me. Maybe she's a really detailed mannequin."

"No, she's breathing and making noises," L said, "She's certainly real." He started taking notes on his Monopad that he was getting suspicious vibes from her. It was a gut feeling, no evidence to back it up, but being the Ultimate Detective meant he needed to trust his gut, which right now was telling him both that his person was suspicious and that he wanted cake. The next stop would hopefully be the kitchen.

Kaede frowned, poking the odd girl's cheek, "Poking her cheek doesn't work either." She grabbed his hand and made him poke her, and it seemed his icy fingertips did the trick to snap her out of it.

"Ah! I never thought I'd be poked from both sides, how truly unexpected. I didn't mean any harm, I was just deep in thought. So I thought if I ignored you, you'd go somewhere else." L could understand that having experienced a similar experience many times while solving cases, but that didn't remove his suspicion of her.

"You were ignoring us?" Kaede asked, "Isn't that a bit rude."

"No," L said, "I can understand it. After all, I spend a lot of time deep in thought. But who are you?"

That was the wrong thing to ask because then she started talking about anime and such. From what L gathered, this girl was the Ultimate Cosplayer if that was a talent.

"Oh," the girl softened when she realized he had no idea what she was talking about, "I'm Tsumugi Shirogane. I'm the Ultimate Cosplayer." L's Monopad dinged, and Tsumugi's tab unlocked. But he wondered... for an Ultimate Cosplayer, shouldn't she be dressed up as someone? Though he supposed _nobody_ would look at him in his wrinkled attire, unkempt hair, bare feet, dark bags, and posture, which would make a chiropractor collapse in horror, and think he was the Ultimate Detective. He wondered if there was an Ultimate Chiropractor or Masseuse here.

"You're surprised," Tsumugi said, "I get that a lot because I'm so plain." 

And L knew immediately that she was tied into some pretty messed up things and likely knew exactly what was going on here. Very few people used the word "plain" to describe themselves unless they were trying to look as dull as possible and actually had something to hide. He took note of that too.

_Tsumugi Shirogane might be the mastermind. 70%._

Kaede was trying to assure Tsumugi, and L was getting a somewhat lesbian or creepy-old-man vibe from the pianist with the way she was describing those "sexy curves." Maybe L was gay, or he merely didn't give a shit, but none of those things had even crossed his mind when he laid eyes on Tsumugi.

Tsumugi went on to describe her talent, and once again, she used the word "plain" where it had no right to be used.

_Make that 75%._

"Tsumugi," L said, "A few minutes ago, you said you were thinking hard about something. What was it?"

Kaede brightened, "Oh yeah! I meant to ask her about that! Nice job, Ryuzaki."

"Ah," Tsumugi pointed, "that bronze dragon statue over there. I'm just plain curious about it. It almost seems like it's floating. It seems pretty out of place." 

Kaede nodded, "Now that you mention it, you're right. It sorta bothers me too."

"Are we...gonna be okay?" Tsumugi asked, but it was in such a way that sounded more ominous than worried, making her chances of being the mastermind or at least an accomplice go up by another 2%, "Are we going to be able to get out?"

Kaede had an odd look, and L cocked his head, "Kaede? Are you okay?" Kaede brightened, 

"Hehe, that frightened look on her face was sorta sexy." 

_Kaede's chances of being a lesbian, bisexual, or at least attracted to Tsumugi is 63%. Perhaps she's just trying to flatter the cosplayer, but no... she seems too genuine._

"I'm just kidding," Kaede said with a chuckle, "Well, it's not a big deal." Denial? That made it most certainly a big deal. "Our present situation is our main concern. Once it's over, we'll be good and dandy." 

"You're pretty optimistic, Kaede," Tsumugi said, and Kaede shrugged,

"People do say I'm carefree. Worrying won't get you anywhere."

"It will get you not dead." L pointed out, making his stance as leaning closer to pessimists known. Kaede rolled her eyes at him,

"Come on, let's go find a way out!"

They walked for a little bit, finding their way into a room labeled Classroom A, where they saw a metallic-looking boy, and the most gorgeous man L had ever seen, who had a carefree smile on his face. Soft auburn hair fell gracefully, framing his face in a very flattering way, highlighting his cocoa-brown eyes, which seemed to have flecks of red in them. He was wearing what appeared to be a school uniform, which consisted of a tan jacket, white dress shirt, red tie, and black pants. He, too, had a messenger bag, but his wasn't labeled and looked much more used, implying it actually belonged to him.

The two boys seemed to be getting along rather well, making jokes and grinning. Kaede waved,

"Hello! Who are you guys?" She beamed, and the metallic boy seemed equally happy, while the devastatingly gorgeous man had a trained smile, which gave him a look of seeming uncomfortable but also being polite. 

"I am K1-BO," the metallic boy explained, "The Ultimate Robot. But please, address me as Kiibo." He went on to explain how he had been raised by the one who created him, and he had the essential functions of a human being. As fascinating as that was, L was more intrigued by the other boy, who was writing in a little black notebook.

"What are you writing?" L asked, and the boy quickly shut his notebook.

"Nothing." He shoved the notebook back in his bag, standing up and offering his hand to shake, "I'm Light Yagami, the Ultimate Actor." 

"Ultimate Actor?" Kaede asked, "Like a moviestar? Have I seen you in anything." Light giggled, and while it sounded cute, L instantly took note of a hint of malice hidden there. And suddenly, all surprise at those jaw-dropping good looks was gone, and he realized this was someone to worry about. He didn't have the same mastermind vibes as Tsumugi, but he was someone to watch out for. He was an actor, but that didn't mean he was a television or broadway star, that could mean something hazardous. 

_Light Yagami, a person of interest._

Kaede grinned, "You're not going to tell me. Fine. I don't watch much television or stage performances. Have you won any awards?"

Light smiled, and it didn't look trained at all, "I've earned tons of awards. It's nothing to brag about, though. I'm just a regular high school student. After all, Kiibo is honest to god robot. You don't see that every day. And from what the Monokubs said, there are other Ultimates here. Speaking of which, I didn't get your names or talents."

"Kaede Akamatsu, the Ultimate Pianist."

"Ryuzaki Lawliet, the Ultimate Detective." 

L saw something momentarily change in Light's eyes, but then whatever had flickered turned to admiration, "I take it you're L?" L tensed, seeing both Kiibo and Kaede gape at him.

"How did you...?"

"Lawliet? Ultimate Detective? Honestly, I've looked up to you for a while. I always wanted to be a detective, like my father. Acting isn't really my passion. Maybe you can show me a few pointers on being a detective." 

Light was friendly, L could see it wasn't _all_ a facade, but there was a mask there, where the true Light Yagami hid. So he smiled back, knowing it would be crucial to know the man behind the smiling mask,

"Sure. But how about we focus on finding other Ultimates and all getting out of here." 

"That sounds like a good plan. Can I come too?" Kiibo asked, and Kaede beamed,

"We should go back and get Tsumugi, so we don't lose track of her." L put his hands in his pocket. He did need to keep an eye on both Tsumugi and Light, and seeing how they got along was an excellent way to know if they were working together. It was clear just from the state of the building that they'd been kidnapped, and there was a mastermind involved, and it clearly wasn't the Monokubs.

Ultimate Cosplayer and Ultimate Actor. If Light really was a movie star, there was a chance they had met.

Yes, he would have to keep an eye on them both and find other Ultimates.


	4. Chapter 4

After meeting everyone and getting a good feel for what he was dealing with, L and Kaede went outside with Light and Kiibo, only to gape at what they saw.

"A-A cage? A wall?" Kaede asked, and L nodded,

"Yes, that seems to be what this is, Kaede." L examined it, seeing both words were accurate as it was both cage and wall. He already could tell those skies were fake, just like the sun's supposed heat and the gentle breeze. Whoever had kept them here wanted them to not know what was on the other side, but why was the question. If L had to guess, without any evidence, they were probably underground, which would explain how Watari hadn't located him yet—and a dome of this size would be easy to find usually.

"What is this?" Light asked, "We're trapped, but why? If this is supposed to be a school for Ultimates, why would we be locked in unless this isn't a school at all, rather somewhere to keep the Ultimates out of the way." L furrowed his brow, knowing Light was probably correct. 

"Rise and shine, ursine!" L groaned, able to identify those voices as the Monokubs. Since everyone had been awake for a while and it was clearly noon or some time along those lines, that intro was inappropriate. He could already tell they would be saying it every time they arrived, and something else when they arrived, and it would probably involve bear puns.

Thankfully, Kiibo had given him the names of each one, so he wouldn't need to identify them by color.

"Surprised about the cage?" Monotaro asked, "I totally understand how you feel. The first time I saw it, my teeth and fingernails fell out." The red bear shrieked as Light picked him up and dropkicked him a good distance away with impressive strength.

Kiibo looked offended, and Light sighed, "They're our captors, I'm proving a point." Monosuke glared but said nothing, but L could tell that Light wasn't going to be able to get away with that again. This time was more they didn't specify a rule about not doing that, so they couldn't do anything about it.

"Alright," L put his hands in his pockets, "How about the rest of you cut to the chase." 

"This wall represents the end of the world," Monosuke said. _Shit_ , were they in space?

Monophanie clarified a little, "The wall has no entrances or exits, and it cannot be climbed or demolished."

"SOMEONE!" Kaede shrieked, "HELP US! We're trapped inside this huge cage!"

"I doubt that's going to work," L said, turning to Kiibo, "You're the Ultimate Robot, don't you have guns or blasters or something that can demolish the wall. It looks to be primarily made of glass." Sure, if they were in space, that could really screw them over, but there was also still a chance they were underground in a hidden base.

"I cannot. That's robophobic of you to assume." 

_Oh. My. Fucking. God._ L took a deep breath. No, this robot could not be as much of a delicate little snowflake who thought everything was an insult like the rest of Gen Z. But that seemed to be the case, and L was regretting his decision to hang around the sentient machine.

Kaede looked ready to cry, "You things... this school... what is all this?"

"Find out for yourself!" Monokid shouted.

"But please watch your step, especially you, L, as the school is still under construction." L glared because even if Light hadn't revealed his identity earlier, that would have made them all realize. He looked down at his bare feet, glad they were callused enough to not process pain from the pavement.

He looked around and, sure enough, many areas of the school still seemed to be under construction, which was odd. It didn't look like they were building, instead renovating an old and abandoned school. 

"So long, bear well," the Monokubs left, and L sighed, knowing full well that he would be hearing that phrase a lot in the time he was here.

Kaede pumped her fists, "Come on guys, let's go look for a way out, there's gotta be a way!"

L shrugged in response, seeing nothing better to do than follow her.


	5. Chapter 5

The next room they came across was round and had a lot of smaller rooms inside. Little pixelated designs of each person were on a door. L took note that Light's room was on the second floor, while his own was on the first.

To the surprise of nobody at all, the Monokubs returned, and L could not deal with them without his brain being unable to handle the stupidity. It was lowering his deductive reasoning skills by 30%!

He sat down on the stairs with Light, "I noticed you had a little notebook." Light nodded,

"Yeah," he pulled out the little book and revealed he had been taking notes, and even quotes from people. "I use this to remember details about people and places." He looked towards the Monokubs, who were... L didn't even want to think about what they were discussing, as he had already figured out the useful parts and the rest...

He focused on Light's journal but noticed Light had put it away again. He decided to learn more about it, get a feel for any type of involvement Light could have with probably-mastermind Tsumugi, "How did you become Ultimate Actor?" 

Light's shoulder slumped, and he shook his head, "I don't know. I don't remember."

 _Huh?_ L could see that Light was genuine with his upset and confusion, which could be more seen in his micro-expressions. He knew both himself and Kaede knew how they had become Ultimates, and except for Rantaro, the others seemed to as well. Light certainly remembered his talent, so what was going on?

Light shrugged, "Well, I have no memory of my talent, and thus no interest in it. Perhaps I can find some use for it here." Alright, that was a partial lie, he did have an interest in it, but L suspected it was more along the lines of putting up facades than actually acting in a play.

The bears finally left, and Kaede rubbed her head, "What do they mean... our home?"

"From the looks of things," L gestured to the doors, "These are our rooms, and they plan to keep us here for an unspecified amount of time, probably live here." 

"I don't plan on staying here long enough to need a room." She snapped, and Kiibo jumped in,

"Well, them providing us with rooms surely means the situation can't be too bad." Light took more notes, auburn bangs covering his eyes, looking up to Kirumi, whom they had met earlier, and just realized it was in the room with them.

"I fail to see their objective," Kirumi mused, and Kaede's brow furrowed while L bit his thumb, 

"Huh? What do you mean?" Kaede asked, and Kirumi looked towards her,

"If they are holding us for ransom, a large facility such as this would not be necessary." Kirumi pointed out, and L nodded absently, knowing that his own wealth would mean that unless the sum of money the culprit was looking for was to be the wealthiest person in the world, then kidnapping him alone should have sufficed. 

After a brief discussion, it was accepted that the Monokubs would care for them rather than hurt them—even if that stupidity from the little things was torture to be in the same area. It left them all stumped, because why would they have been brought here then? 

The only thing L could think of was something to do with Light and Rantaro's lost memories. If, perhaps, the Monokubs were altering their memories, removing some, then maybe something had happened that their captors didn't want them to know about? If these memories were fake, then why would they be so lazy as to not add an Ultimate Talent for Rantaro and a backstory for Light, while L remembered his childhood and his own life down to the most obscure detail? 

Then he remembered the detail that he didn't remember his own age. That was the only thing he didn't recall—well, he couldn't say that, now could he? Only the significant absences would be noticed; otherwise, he would be none the wiser. But he _felt_ older than the teenagers everyone else appeared to be, so if he had to guess assuming that everyone was aged somewhere between sixteen and nineteen, he was the latter.

Kaede began flirting with Kirumi, and Light was writing down an entire paragraph in his notebook, "I've heard of Kirumi Tojo," he said mostly to himself, "An Ultimate with incredible intellect and strength, working as a private maid. Her work is so perfect she can complete any request given to her. I once heard she was hired as a bodyguard to several foreign dignitaries." 

L then thought back, and he did remember mention of a maid like that and considering adding her to his shady payroll.

"Moving on," Kirumi was speaking to Kaede, while Kiibo went to explore some more, and Light and L looked up to the maid curiously. L wanted to get a look at Light's notes on him and wondered when a chance could come. It may provide useful insight. "What do you intend to do now?"

"That's a tough question," Kaede muttered, "What—What should we do?"

"We've met everyone," L pointed out, "So it stands to reason that next, we look for a way out, as if we got in here, there has to be a method of release."

"Good point," Light crossed his arms, "But I wouldn't think the exit would be near the wall. No... it's likely hidden somewhere obscure. I originally had woken up by a waterfall-like fountain, so maybe we should look there?"

"That sounds like as good a plan as any!" Kaede gestured to the door, "Lead the way." She looked to Kirumi, "Are you coming?"

"No, I am going to clean for a bit." L shrugged, and followed Light, only for Light to pause,

"Um... where are we going?" 

Kaede raised an eyebrow, "What are you talking about? We're going to the waterfall fountain you told us about, right?"

"Oh, right... come on..." he started looking through his notebook, "L, Kaede,"

"I would prefer it if you please call me Ryuzaki," L corrected, "To maintain some anonymity around here." Light nodded, taking notes,

"Of course." L frowned. Did Light have a memory issue? He couldn't have forgotten these things so fast otherwise. That could be the reason he didn't remember the reason for being dubbed the Ultimate Actor. Unless Light was directly involved in this kidnapping, L didn't see a point in faking a memory issue. Or maybe he just has ADHD.

It took them a moment to find the waterfall-like fountain, but it did exist, and L had to admit the area was quite beautiful. They didn't have time to look around for an exit as they heard bells, and the monitor turned on to reveal the damn Monokubs.

L did his best to tune them out but got the message that they were supposed to head to the gym for the opening ceremony. At least with whatever this meant, they were going to be getting some answers one way or another.

"We should get going," Light said quietly but not meekly, "I don't want to find the limits of their hospitality." L nodded,

"Light-Kun's right, we probably should." Light's brow furrowed, but there was still a smile on his face, as though he was merely surprised,

"Light-Kun?" 

"In this situation, we need allies, so it is understandable I address you in a friendly manner, is it not?" Kaede nodded, wrapping her arm around L's shoulder,

"You are certainly not what I expected from the great L. Not that I'm complaining." L, unsure what to do with positive attention from people he had just met that day and didn't seem off-put but how unlike society's norms he was, he just looked at the ground with a sheepish smile.

It took a little bit to locate the gym, and it showed as they were the last to arrive, and once they had done so, Kirumi was already talking, analyzing the situation.

"All sixteen of us have gathered."

Kaito looked around among them, "Hm, it's pretty spectacular seeing all sixteen of us Ultimates gathered together."

"Kehehe..." Korekiyo chuckled, "You may not be able to be so easygoing for much longer..." L examined the mask on the anthropologist's face. Why did he wear it? Was he afraid of disease? Was there something he was hiding under there?

Tsumugi was staring off into space, "In this situation, it's no use thinking about things. So eventually, Tsumugi stops thinking."

"Talking about yourself in the third person? Really?" Light muttered, as though he had dealt with it before and did not want to put up with it again.

"Hey, we should all play nice." Kaede encouraged, "We don't know what we're in for."

"Nyeh, what's gonna happen to us? I bet it'll be a big pain." Himiko groaned, and looked up at where Tenko was leering creepily at her, "What? What are you looking at?"

"Um..." Tenko struggled for something to say. L found himself noticing the raging hypocrisy in the aikido master as she then thought of an explanation for her creepy staring, "Himiko, you can use your amazing powers, right? Cuz, you're psychic and stuff, right?"

"I'm not a psychic, I'm a mage." Himiko corrected.

L already had formed his own opinions of Himiko, and he looked to see what Light was writing: _"Himiko is delusional. This is a rule of performers to not reveal the trick, but this is by far over the top. May screw us over. Mastermind? Unlikely, probably overthinking things. She seems too lazy to be the mastermind, but it could be a facade."_

"You think there's a mastermind too?" He whispered, not wanting to listen to Tenko talk and fawn over Himiko, and Light jerked back, 

"Oh... I guess it just makes sense."

"Pardon me, but..." Kiibo interjected, "We need to be on our guard. We do not know if and when danger will strike."

"There is no need to worry." Angie vowed, "Atua will protect us."

As everyone started adding onto this, either in loud protest or insisting they could do the protecting, L realized something. Never before had he been so annoyed by so many people in the same room at the same time. Kaede and Light were the people he found himself gravitating towards.

"Huh? What that?" Gonta asked, and Kaito looked towards the hulking man,

"Hm? What's wrong?"

"Listen... hear that?"

Tsumugi was the first to hear it, and L was unsure if that counted as evidence or was just his own suspicions about her, "Ah, I hear it. It sounds like an engine from a robot anime."

Sure enough, five colored robots appeared, and L didn't need to be a genius to know who was piloting them. _For the love of marshmallows, this is getting downright infuriating._

Or perhaps he did need to be a genius, because only he, Maki, Rantaro, and Light weren't screaming or crying at the sight. 

"Everyone, behind Gonta!" Gonta got everyone behind him, and Kaito's mouth was agape,

"Wh-What the heck are those... monsters?!"

"They are not monsters," L stepped out from behind Gonta and looked up at the potential threat, "They are robots. And by the looks of things they are being piloted by the Monokubs, who else would repeatedly appear so dreadfully tedious and irritating so often in less than an hour." 

"Who are you calling tedious and irritating?!" Monokid roared, and L narrowed his charcoal eyes,

"You, obviously. Miu, you're the inventor, where's the weak point on those things?"

Miu looked on the brink of a goddamn orgasm, "They... They're so... I need to get a better look at them."

"You won't find weak points in these exisals—highly mobile, bipedal weapons platforms! They got lotsa hometown pride too!" L didn't care, nor did he pay attention to which Monokub said it. 

"Whatever they are, they better kill off the uggos and save me for last!" Light wordlessly flipped off Miu as she said that, and L chuckled as Light continued to take notes.

"Hm, didn't someone say they would 'kick all their asses'?" While there was no way that Maki was actually the Ultimate Child Caregiver, he had to admit that Maki was someone he was interested in seeing as an ally.

"Wh-What the hell?!" Kaito sent frantic and wild gestures towards the exisals, "Nobody told me about these!"

"Alright, chill out, no need to panic... We're probably not in any danger. If they wanted to kill us, they would have done it by now." 

L bit his thumb, cocking his head towards Rantaro, who was speaking. This potential danger was showing him who was actually useful, and who would act all high and mighty until the moment they need it most, in which they will be the first to run.

With that, Rantaro walked up to the exisals, "So... what do you want from us? You clearly want _something_ , that's what the guns are for, right? Let me guess. You're gonna force us to do something, and if we don't, we get hurt."

"Well, you have our attention," Light glared at the exisals which housed the irksome bears, "So what do you want?"

Monosuke chuckled, "Huh, well, aren't you two wiseguys." Monokid jumped in,

"I'll start us off! Listen up! Here's what we want you punkasses to do—"

"Get to the point!" Light snapped, and the green exisal, Monodam, if L recalled correctly, was the one who answered the question.

"It's a Killing Game."

Silence. Kaede and L were the first to speak,

"...What?"

"What did you say?"

"Killing Game."

After this, the arguing among the Monokubs got to the point L was more worried about being killed as collateral damage to their squabbles than anything else. Nevertheless, his mind wandered. _Killing Game?!_ What was that supposed to mean? He looked around the room, and he could see the look of shock on both Light and Kaede's faces. And it was genuine, though he couldn't be 100% sure with Light, as he was Ultimate Actor, and he didn't know enough about how Light had been judged as Ultimate to gauge whether he could fool the Ultimate Detective.

A new voice was heard, making the Monokubs stop with their insufferable blather.

"Now, now, now..."

L looked around, but Kaede asked, "What?"

"My cute little cubs, you gotta knock off this awful fighting."

The Monokubs hopped out of the exisals, and after they all rabbeted on for far too long, a new bear appeared, this one larger than the other five, and colored in black and white.

"I am the God of this New World."

Light then put his notebook in his bag and stalked up to the stage, "Cut, Cut!" He sassily put his hands on his hips, "Pathetic, if you're going to deliver such a line, you need to make it more serious and get dramatic. Now," he made a 'get on with it' gesture, "Try it again."

The new bear stared at Light in exasperation, "You're not serious, right?"

"No, I am serious. Rerun it. If you're going to say something as exaggerated and over the top as claiming to be God of the New World, you need to actually make me believe it and not that you're just a glorified teddy bear." He taunted this, and subtly backed away back to where L and Kaede were fighting back giggles,

"Didn't you say you don't know where you got your Ultimate Talent from?" Kaede asked, but Light cut her off with a gesture,

"Shut up, this is directorial critique." He sent a pointed look to the bears, "Now, are you going to leave me disappointed and make a pathetic first impression?"

L watched what Light was doing, noticing in Light's expressions and gestures that while he was bothered, his calling the bear out was not intended to be a demonstration of his Ultimate Talent, rather gaging the dynamic between them.

The bear groaned, cleared his throat, and repeated, "I am the God of this New World." He waited for Light to give the okay to continue, and once he got it, spoke again, "And the Headmaster of the Ultimate Academy. The one, the only, Monokuma! Nice to meetcha!"

After the Monokubs were annoying once again, L almost laughed from the words of the ursine ringleader, who was shaking with what appeared to be pure rage as he forced out his words.

"The only reason I can tolerate your tiresome antics is that you're all so cute." But oh boy did those words sound forced, like he was debating killing the five on the spot. L prayed that it would happen because he was about ready to snap. "Even when the prologue is going _way_ too long, I'll allow it because you guys are cute."

L and Light exchanged glances, seeming to be on the same wavelength. With the way that the bears discussed scripts and prologues, whoever was keeping them hostage clearly intended for this to be broadcast. This may also explain the directorial critique being actually taken.

And then Monokuma's paws started glowing, and he launched the cubs across the room. L hadn't even realized they had all been talking, but it seemed they had been if Monokuma's words of, "How many times do I have to say it?! I'm not MAD!" held any merit. 

L looked towards the five, disappointed that like when Light dropkicked Monotaro, they were still intact. Even as they were being launched across the room, they were still as intolerable as usual.

As Monokuma proceeded to beat the crap out of the cubs, L found himself bored. Deciding to leave Light to scribbling in his notebook, he moved over to Kaede as Monokuma began to discuss mascots and rating,

"Kaede, what do you think about this?" His theory would have more merit, the more people agreed, so he wanted to know, even if this would change nothing about what he planned to investigate.

"What they're saying doesn't make much sense..."

"I think this is something the entire world is seeing, like a television show. Monokuma is keeping us here, meaning the culprits are more than likely a terrorist group trying to make a point to the world."

"What? You found that out with just a few interactions?" L nodded, 

"It doesn't sit right."

Everyone except Light, L, and Kaede seemed caught up on the fact this was a teddy bear, but L suspected these were robots with cameras and such installed. However, they were actually AI, while the real mastermind was either hidden among them to make sure nobody would try anything.

Kiibo agreed with that from where he was in the corner discussing that theory. It led L to wonder if perhaps the mastermind wasn't among them, instead seeing through the eyes of Kiibo as a spy—whether a knowing or unknowing one was not something he could tell quite yet. Once he got to his room, he would take notes on this and form theories to get them all out of here.

His mind continued to wander. If this was like the Hunger Games, that didn't bode well for anybody here, as even from a glance he could tell some people would be harder to kill than others, and he didn't have any desire to see Light or Kaede die, because they could perhaps be friends. 

A good chunk of the class, he would be fine if something happened to them.

Thankfully, Rantaro was asking the crucial questions here in regards to the killing game. He was another person who would be very useful, but L bit his thumb because Rantaro seemed almost... too calm. Like he'd done this before. Could that be why he didn't remember his talent? What could it be...

Monokuma just laughed at Rantaro's questions, and Kirumi sent a questioning look, "What is so amusing?"

"It's just... when I said it before, I kinda just phoned it in, and now I feel awkward." Was the response Monokuma provided, which made L realize that yes, there had been games like this before. He tried to tear through his mind to think of an answer. Surely he had heard of cases like this before, right? Perhaps he really did have more memory gaps than his age. "I want you students with your Ultimate-level talents to participate in a killing game!"

"K-Killing game? Us?" Kaede looked around, mauve eyes wide and Kiibo pointed at Monokuma,

"Please stop joking! Why would we agree to participate in a killing game?!"

L noticed Light's eyes go wide out of the corner of his eye, and the actor started flipping through his notebook before he hid his discomfort. It was a perfect performance, but as the Ultimate Detective, he could see there was still fear, which was appropriate given the situation, but the fact he had been looking through the notebook made him wonder. Something was going on with their memories, after all...

Monokuma didn't seem to understand, "Huh? You guys don't wanna do it?"

"Whatever the reason may be, murder is always wrong," L's voice was heard by everyone, and there were nods all around in agreement. 

"But if you've looked around the academy, then you already know, don't you? The academy is surrounded by a vast wall. You cannot escape to the outside world... And as long as we have the exisals, you can't defy us." Monokuma chuckled, showing his claws, "In other words, I hold the power of life and death over each and every one of you."

"So, we do what you say if we don't want to die?" Light asked with concern still on his face.

"Y-You got to be kidding me!" Tenko shouted, "Why would friends kill each other?!"

L took one look at the incredibly sexist martial artist who he had put up with for five seconds, and already he knew that while he wasn't planning on harming anyone, he would not be upset in the slightest if she died. She meant other women when she was referring to friends, but her chances of killing a man for some obscure reason she deemed fit in her mind were 89%.

"Who said you guys were friends? You guys aren't friends at all." This was true, L admitted, while he showed interest in befriending Kaede and Light, could he even do that now with this new game over their heads? And as things were, they were positive acquaintances at best. "You're enemies out to kill each other." 

Or that, apparently. 

Looking around the room, L had a feel for who was more likely to be a killer or a victim, and this was based on both talent and physical capabilities. 

Light was still a person of interest, but while L knew that lying to hide his crime, if that was necessary, would be child's play, was he physically able to do it? Even from a glance, L knew Light was extremely underweight, perhaps not as much so as L himself, but the point still stood. However, L was also confident in his own martial arts skills, so while Light was skinny, it was hard to tell whether he was frail.

Once again, L had tuned out the Monokubs, only zoning back in when Ryoma began talking,

"Cool it with the stupid banter. I want to ask something. How are we supposed to kill each other? Are you going to give us weapons?"

"What the hell, man?!" Kaito was the one to say what everyone was, to some degree, thinking, "What are you asking?!" Ryoma just shrugged in response,

"We need to get info from them first. We can't do anything if we don't know anything."

 _"He who knows nothing can understand nothing."_ L remembered Watari saying to him once, and here was another time that line of thinking was correct.

Monokuma cocked his head, "Weapons? Huh? What kinda barbaric display are you envisioning? You couldn't be more wrong. This killing game is quite a refined, sophisticated experience at the Ultimate Academy for Gifted Juveniles!"

Light crossed his arms, "Sophisticated experience? How so? And is it in any way connected to you tampering with our memories?"

"Tampering?" Monokuma looked to Light, "Now, I will admit, the game would be no fun if you all had your full memories right off the bat. I will admit, some of you have more potent effects from this. You, for example, have had your memory altered, so until either you escape or I say so, you will periodically forget everything in your short term memory. Still, I can see you've already realized that. We can't have two Ultimate Detectives on our hands."

Light's expression was one of rage that would make any sane man scream for their mommy. Many people did flinch away, but Monokuma was not bothered, "Don't worry. It's all to make the game more interesting, and you're still just as smart as you were before."

"Why would it matter?" L asked, "Having two Ultimate Detectives?" Light must be brilliant and have extraordinary deductive skills if it was needed to alter his brain so he would forget things periodically.

"See," Monokuma explained, "Here, the killing game is punctuated by class trials."

"Class trials?" Kaede asked, earning a nod from Monokuma,

"Yes, if one of you kills someone, you all must participate in the class trial, where the blackened killer, and the spotless classmates, face off, and you all give your arguments about who you think the blackened is. After that, it's Voting Time, and if the majority votes correctly, only the blackened will receive punishment, and the rest of you will keep living here in your communal school life. But if you pick the wrong person, I'll punish everyone besides the blackened, and that person will get to graduate from this academy!"

"So you don't just have to kill someone," L put a finger under his chin, "You also have to survive the class trial. It's easy to tell this 'punishment' you speak of is going to be more than a slap on the wrist." The more he thought about it, the more it sounded eerily similar to the real world. 

There was a case, L recalled, with a similar mechanism to this. Why couldn't he remember the name of the case? He wracked his brain for answers, managing to give himself a headache, but he did recall that the culprit was killing criminals. That was clearly something he wasn't supposed to remember much on, meaning it was probably crucial to answering the questions. But he couldn't remember the killer's name or alias, which was driving him insane! 

"Simply put," Monokuma answered L's question regarding the punishment, "It's execution."

Gasps and sounds of horror from almost everyone, but L noted both he and Light were not bothered by this. Well, Light had mentioned he was the son of an officer, so a game not unlike the real world having this rule was not something he would view as a shock.

L nodded to the horrified students, "If you commit a crime, you get punished for it, that is the most basic rule of society if you are not a member of the governing power." Something he was in a sense, for in his line of work, he was responsible for many crimes, but he wasn't going to point this out aloud.

"That's right!" Monokuma cheered, "You're catching on quickly. But this is a killing game, so the punishment for murder is a bit more... permanent."

Was it even needed at this point to mention when the Monokubs were horribly irritating? This time, they were making downright sexual references that had even L disturbed if not a little nauseous. But the mention of lots of blood and guts and such made it clear this wasn't going to be a lethal injection, electric chair, or hanging. No... this was something much, _much_ worse.

"Alright," Monokuma chuckled, "I'm all over this boring exposition. Let's get this heart-pounding killing school semester started already! You have free reign to murder however you like, too. Like bludgeoning or stabbing! Feeling cheap? Try strangulation! Feeling lazy? Try poisoning! You can use any method you want to kill anybody you like! At the Ultimate Academy for Gifted Juveniles, you will realize your murderous potential. Sixteen talented prodigies, all competing for first place in a killing game!"

"Killing school semester?" Rantaro asked calmly, and L bit his thumb,

"This is undoubtedly going to be interesting, but risking our lives for some trivial game is so stupid that I'm actually not sure what to do about it." Tenko looked at them all,

"Hey! How can you degenerates be so calm?!"

Light glared at Tenko as soon as the words left her mouth, "I had written down that you have an obsession will calling all men degenerates and will physically abuse them if they come near you, but I did not expect I would be so frustrated by hearing you speak." The bluntness took L by surprise, or maybe Tenko really pissed Light off enough that he had no plans of putting up pretenses. Or perhaps he was so furious about the alterations to his memory that he didn't care, as he wouldn't remember this conversation later.

"Why you degenerate—" Tenko charged Light, going at him with her Aikido, only for Light to duck and swing at just the ring angle to actually be able to punch her.

Kaede was the one who intervened before someone ended up seriously injuring the other, "Woah, Woah, Woah! We can't have fighting among us."

 _Tenko's chances of killing a man have gone up to 98.9%._ L mused, knowing he would need to keep an eye out for her, and she would automatically become the prime suspect of a man's death unless there was evidence right off the bat stating otherwise.

"Th-This has to be a lie... right? It's a lie, right?" L looked to Tsumugi, his bad feeling about her still having not worn off.

"Well, if you don't wanna participate in the killing game," Monokuma said, "That's gonna be a problem. Cuz the killing game is the only reason you're here."

L's eyes widened as a thought occurred to him. This wasn't the first killing game, that much Monokuma might as well have said directly, and did the alterations to Rantaro and Light's memories mean they were survivors of another game? What if these games were with groups of sixteen Ultimates and had been going on for a long time? This wouldn't have gone unnoticed, so was it possible L had taken the case, which had put him on the radar of scouts and now his kidnappers? The idea filled him with disgust.

"Now then, unleash your talents and have a happy, homicidal, horrific, hilarious killing game!"

"Geez, wait just a minute!" Kaede ordered, a look of determination on her face, "No matter what you say... We won't do it! We'll never participate in a killing game! Whatever you have planned, I'm not gonna let you get away with it!"

"K-Kaede," Tenko tried, "You really shouldn't just rashly defy that thing."

"No, No!" Monokuma assured, "I welcome her resistance! That kind of defiant spirit is important to the killing game. It's fun to watch the defiant ones eventually snap, and get their hands dirty."

Kaede narrowed her eyes suspiciously, "What do you mean by that?"

"Everyone loves that kind of brutality in a death game! Especially me! It never gets old, so fun and entertaining that I get unbearably pumped up. Plus, as the headmaster, it's my job to force you to do it." He laughed maniacally, and everyone stood in dumbfounded silence, surrounded by the squealing laughter of Monokuma and his cubs echoing through the gym. 

Everything about the situation was so messed up. An academy surrounded by a giant wall; sixteen Ultimate students trapped inside; mysterious stuffed bears and deadly weapons; and those trapped inside, forced to play some killing game. It all felt like something out of a sadistic work of fiction. Perhaps that was the point, as this was being broadcasted, likely to send the world into chaos.

_Near... Mello... Matt... Watari..._

Against his will, L found himself a character in this story, knowing he needed to get home to his family. He knew his little brothers were all Ultimates, as Wammy's House was a home for them. If there were multiple games, these psychos holding them captive might go after the kids next. No, he couldn't just get out of here. He needed to end the killing game and the whole system, permanently.

But the question remained: how could he do that without killing everyone here?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As you can tell, I really do not like the Monokubs. And I don't think L would even want to put up with that.
> 
> Also, who gets the Danganronpa reference with what's going on with Light's memory? No, it has nothing to do with Monotaro being forgetful.


End file.
